Nerd Christmas Gifts - Logo Etched Beer Steins

My husband and his friends are geeks. Comic books and Doctor Who are their favorites. So for Christmas, I'm making them some personalized beer steins with their favorite symbol of geekdom.

I'll be posting a pictorial (picture tutorial) of how I made the Batman one for my husband, since the guys sometimes see my blog and I don't want to reveal theirs.

Materials needed:

• Beer Stein ($1 at the Dollar Store!! Made in US even!)
• Clear packaging tape
• Paper stencil (printed on normal paper)
• Armour Etch paste
• Xacto knife
• Qtips

1. Remove sticker
   
2. Place tape on glass

   

   Make sure you fold both ends on itself, so it's easier to remove at the end.

3. Tape on printed stencil
   
4. Carve/trace design with Xacto knife

   

   Start from the inside out, that way you don't have to re-tape the stencil on once you've cut it out accidentally. Not that I did that or anything...

5. Remove paper stencil and its tape

   

   Leaving the image traced into the tape below

6. Peel off the "black" part of the taped area

   

   This is a really tedious part. But be meticulous about points and mistakes because it will etch exactly where the edge of the tape is. Re-tape and re-trace bits if you mess up and cut too much.

7. Sludge on the Armour Etch paste

   

   Oooh yeah, smear it on there nice and thick-like.

8. Wait 30 min (instructions say 5-10 but I like to wait longer just to make sure it's developed as much as possible)
   
9. Rinse off using cold water and a crummy cloth
10. Take the tape off if you're happy wth the etching coverage. If not, do another coat of A.E.
    
11. Admire your handiwork.
    
    
    
12. Fill with beer.